Friends of Arcadia Airport, Inc.

Welcome To “AVIATION CITY”

“The premier airplane camping destination”

Mark Baker, President A.O.P.A.

A Fly-In/Camp-Out Center

***X06 100LL $3.35***

*******Courtesy van ready for use ! *******Check in at the airport terminal building for courtesy van use. Its available during business hours. First come first served. It must be returned to the airport by 4:30 pm. This van provided by Friends of Arcadia Airport. Note: Local use only please.

Other items we can supply are ♦ Camp stove ♦ Coffee pot ♦ Lantern ♦ Large 5 ft griddle for big group cook outs ♦ charcoal & LP gas ♦ queen size sleeping bag & pillows. Don’t forget our great 8 person tent that is already set up for newbie campers. A courtesy van is also available for your use while camping at Aviation City. We are close to downtown Arcadia with antique shops, restaurants and many local attractions.

We only ask $10 per night per tent site for airplane camping. There is a secure lock box in the pilot shelter for your donation. Please let us know when you make your reservation if you need any of the extra items listed above so we can have them ready for you. We would appreciate an additional donation if you use any of these items to help us cover our costs associated with making them available to the general aviation community. All donations go to support the Aviation City campground for use by the GA community. We are all volunteers and have no salaried employees. Thank you.

( Scroll down for taxi diagram )

Note: You must register in advance to camp overnight at Aviation City.
Go to the Airport Camping tab and fill out the registration form. We will approve your request as soon as possible.

A recent guest said this about Aviation City:

“First, a great big thanks to all the folks that have developed a wonderful place to camp with an airplane at the Arcadia, Florida (X06) airport. Once you have camped there it is obvious a lot of thought, planning and hard work has gone into making this a premiere airplane camping destination. Everything needed for a relaxing enjoyable stay is conveniently located to the camp site and the newly constructed bathrooms and shower house is kept exceptionally clean and organized.” Dwayne Waters November 2018

————————————————————————–

New restrooms and showers are here.

“I can’t count how many airports I have watched disappear due to lack of effective pilot support or only been interested in serving the most affluent segment of GA.

You guys deserve every bit of help I and other visitors can muster for leading a group that has so successfully enhanced recreational aviation for everyone else and created a constructive force to support the local airport as well as the community it serves.

You folks put a smile in my soul.”

Robert Jones 4/30/18

_________________________________________________________________

TAXI DIAGRAM

You may taxi right onto the Aviation City campground and park under the oaks and pitch your tent. Please remember to check with us prior to your visit as site conditions can change especially during the summer rainy season. The diagram below shows the taxi route to the Aviation City campground and the two circular on site taxiways.

AIRPORT CAMPING, AIRBOAT CRUISING

ARCADIA, FLORIDA

April 3, 2018 By Crista Videriksen Worthy

“Fly to a fully-equipped, lush airport campground in central Florida. Throw in a fun airboat cruise or a quiet canoe trip down the Peace River, add a horseback ride, swamp buggy tour, or a little antique shopping, and you’ve got yourself a great little getaway.” Read full storyHere

Arcadia was named “Aviation City” in 1920-1921 after World War I and the establishment of Carlstrom and Dorr Fields and while Carlstrom Field was still training pilots.

This was long before the British cadets trained at Carlstrom Field during World War II. There are 23 British RAF pilots buried at Arcadia’s Oak Ridge Cemetery who lost their lives during training right here in Florida.

Friends of Arcadia Airport decided to keep the name alive by naming our new Fly-In/Camp-Out Center “Aviation City” in honor of Arcadia’s aviation history.

This unique site is the first such site in the state of Florida and perhaps anywhere in the nation where a pilot can taxi his aircraft right into the campsite and park the plane under beautiful live oaks and pitch a tent.

Please see the Airplane Camping page for more information and registration form.

In 1934 the City of Arcadia bought 225 acres for delinquent taxes. A $10,000 federal grant was acquired to build a hangar and an airfield to be used as a “secondary field” to the Carlstrom Military Airfield located just south of Arcadia during the war. The original field had two turf runways approximately 2,500 feet in length.

A flight school was established on the field about 1946. Then from the mid 70’s through the mid 80’s Pat Hange and Harriet Hamilton operated Lennox Flight School where they trained many aircraft and glider pilots. Both Pat & Harriet are in the Soaring Hall of Fame.

Friends of Arcadia Airport, Inc. was formed Sept 28th. 2012 and incorporated on October 5th, 2012

All board members volunteer their services to the corporation. The corporation has no paid staff and all funds raised go to support general aviation promotional events, aviation education and related projects at Arcadia Airport.

“Friends” is a non profit 501-c-3 Florida Corporation. We will seek grants and donations that will allow us to carry out our mission. We will sponsor regular events to bring attention to what our Airport has to offer, both for the community and general aviation.

We recently passed the 800 member mark. You do not need to be a pilot to join. So please let us add your name to our email list as a member and include you in our “e-Brief” which will keep you up to date on Airport happenings. Just go to the sign up box (bottom right) and enter your name and email and you will be placed on our member update list.